1/2023 – The Carmax Unicorn Blog

January 27, 2023January 27, 2023

Quick Hits – Six Unusual Unicorn Sedans. Cheap Too!

Going to limit my comments to pithy short paragraphs or these interesting unicorns. I’m behind the curve on my annual drive to Florida for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this weekend. If any of you are attending please give me a shout – would love to have a coffee or beer and talk cars. I was stuck in Savannah (I just can’t help myself with my alliteration addiction!) because my BMW M3 went on the fritz and had to drop into Critz BMW in Savannah for diagnostics and a fix. After a couple of odd startups and alerts that my battery was either disconnected or discharging while off the car wouldn’t start yesterday, and once started wouldn’t go into gear. Had coffee and pondered options while visiting friends in Santee, South Carolina, and a couple of hours later – fired right up, went into gear, and I barreled onto I-95 south. Critz was able to fit me in and sent me a cool video this morning of them walking around my car and diagnosing….a loose negative cable on the battery post. Ugh. $237. I gave Critz my MaxCare info but I think it doesn’t apply. Glad they fit me in and glad it’s solved. Will continue south tomorrow. Let’s get to the cars.

This 2013 BMW 550i caught my eye because it’s cheap at $24,998 and it’s a V-8. Always like sleeper sedans.

But eagle eyed readers Nate and Hans both shared it with me because although it’s listed as an automatic, it’s really a six-speed three pedal manual transmission car! I don’t know how rare these are, but I do know that’s cool as hell.

Handsome interior above and surprisingly well equipped, with adaptive cruise control, seat massagers, heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel and more! CarMax says it has the cold weather package, the driver assistance package, and the M sport package. The car sold new for maybe $65,000 ten years ago. Below we see the 4.4 liter twin turbo V-8 that makes 400 hp.

On one hand, a 400 hp 6MT BMW sedan with decent miles selling for less than $25,000 seems too good to be true. And maybe it is. But Jared shared with me the N63 motor has issues that even MaxCare might not make up for. Sure they would cover the cost of repairs, but the car would be in the shop more than out. That became a hassle and disappointment with my original unicorn, the 2004 Mercedes S55 that I loved – when I got to drive it. Googled the N63 and found “There are several widespread issues with the BMW N63 V8 engine. These include oil consumption, fuel injector failure, timing chain failure, leaking valve stem seals, and fast battery drainage.” (thebmwstore.com) If this loaded 2013 BMW 550i 6MTis for you it’s currently being shipped to Ontario, California but you can track it here.

Stock 23542210 · VIN WBAFR9C52DC271574

Break – the BMW below is NOT the same car above!

Got this one from Mustafa and Hans. The most affordable V-12 we’ve seen in some time – a 2014 BMW 760Li for only $32,998. That’s a steal. This was a $140,000 car nine years ago and really captures my enthusiasm for unicorns – highly depreciated and foolish to own without MaxCare. I cannot imagine walking into Critz BMW here in Savannah when I go to pick up my M3 and ask if they’d give me a five year warranty for another 75,000 miles on a nine year old V-12 BMW.

This 760 is loaded as you can see below. Has adaptive cruise control (even though CarMax doesn’t note that), heads up display, lane departure alert, and even night vision assist, which I still dig for no good reason. The car has heated, cooling, and massaging seats. Oddly, CarMax indicates the 760 has both the Harman Kardon sound system and the Bang & Olufsen audio. It has the Bang & Olufsen, or “B&O” as Mustafa taught me. I believe the B&O is a higher level of sound?

The BMW 760Li does have the 6.0 liter V-12 motor making 535 hp. Not as much as I’d like – the modern M760 hits 600hp, but as I learned with my 2010 S600 that Jared stole from me anything above 500hp in a V-12 is just smooth, quiet power. With the eight-speed automatic the 2 1/2 ton sedan will still scoot to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Sweet.

I believe you could be out the door with this 2014 BMW 760Li with MaxCare and taxes for $40,000. That’s unusual. It’s currently here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Not far from you Jared!

Stock 23541481 · VIN WBAYG0C56EDZ04826

Wait there’s more! Enough with these Euro-sedans, let’s look east.

January 11, 2023January 10, 2023

Quick Hit – Mislabeled 2012 Mercedes CL63 AMG

I’ve been trying so hard to get to a 14-car comparison blog piece, and I was way over my head when Hans sent me the 2011 Kia Rio yesterday. Today he sends me this 2012 Mercedes CL63 AMG unicorn that is incorrectly listed as a C63 at CarMax. Thinking we’d all be better off if he just signed on as a ghost writer?

This is a third (and final) generation CL63, an S-class coupe really, powered by a hand-built 5.5 liter twin -turbo V-8 pumping out 536 horsepower and torque of 590 lb-ft. With the seven-speed automatic it’ll do 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Comfortably.

Here’s the comfortable place. Heated and cooling dynamic seats, adaptive cruise control with lane keeping assist (back in 2012!), night vision assist. Adaptive high beams. Designo alcantara anthracite roof trim. Heated windshield washers. Harman Kardon audio. Air suspension. Fairly loaded for a CL63.

Previous CL63’s I’ve seen on CarMax include a 2012 with 59,000 miles at $36,998 two years ago, four years ago a 2012 with 35,000 miles for $44,998, a 2008 for $35,998 with only 28,000 miles, and another 2008 with 47,000 miles for only $30,998. I guess 2018 was a good year for used CL63’s.

This 2012 Mercedes CL63 AMG sold for at least $155,000 back in 2012 and is a decent buy at $34,998. I found a few other 2012 CL63’s with about the same mileage selling for $8,000 more, so wondering if Hans is on to something and perhaps this car is priced as a C63 also? With MaxCare and taxes you could be out the door for $40,000. The history report shows it as a CL63 and the VIN does too, so not like they got the wrong pictures. It’s a three-owner, accident free southern car (Florida and Georgia) and is available here at the Southlake CarMax in Stockbridge, Georgia, just southeast of Atlanta. Let’s see if CarMax catches their mistake before Mustafa snatches this car.

January 10, 2023January 9, 2023

Minimalist’s Car

**2011 KIA RIO, $11,998. 19,000 MILES.** **(THIS POST IS HANS’ FAULT.)**

“A minimalist person is someone who seeks simplicity, usefulness and clarity. They pursue a lifestyle that focuses less on material possessions and more on what they value in life – what makes them happy.“ ThePlainSimpleLife.com

(**I HAVE NEVER SEEN A “1” ON CARMAX. *EVER*.**)

**NO AIR CONDITIONING**. **ONE OF 11 “NO A/C” CARS OFFERED BY CARMAX. MOSTLY JEEPS.**

**THREE OWNERS, MOSTLY WASHINGTON STATE. NINE YEARS FOR THE ORIGINAL OWNER.**

**SPARTAN** **BUT MORE FRONT LEG ROOM THAN A MERCEDES S-CLASS.**

**KINDA CUTE? LESS THAN 2,400 POUNDS. GOOD FOR 34 MPG HIGHWAY.**

**1.6 LITER FOUR. 110 HP. O-60 MPH IN 9.2 SECONDS. FASTER THAN A CHEVY SPARK!**

**$1000 LESS THAN WHEN NEW IN 2011. HERE IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.**

Stock 23505527 · VIN KNADH4A32B6955289

January 5, 2023January 5, 2023

Quick Hit – Rare 198 MPH Alpina B6 On A Unicorn Budget

Happy New Year! Quite surprised to see this 2015 BMW Alpina B6 unicorn for only $42,998 this week, and I owe it to Hans for the heads up. We’ve seen far more B7’s show up on CarMax lots than B6’s, and both have been limited to a few hundred imported to the USA every year. The only B6 I covered here was this 2016 model back in 2019, and it was selling for $65,998 with only 12,000 miles.

The Alpina B6 is almost indistinguishable from the M6 Gran Coupe inside and out. There is a front splitter, rear spoiler, and rear diffuser that are all functional and generate zero lift to the 198 mph top end reported by Motor Trend. The M6 is governor limited to 155 mph. There’s a cool logo on the steering wheel, the door sills and floor mats, and blue gauges in the dash.

This could be the interior of any 5, 6, or 7 series BMW at first blush. The last time CarMax offered a B6 I was tempted, but it was far from me and before having it transferred I took home an equivalent local M6 (back when CarMax allowed all models to go for 24 hour test drives!). I was surprised with the seat pushed back to accommodate my 6’4″ frame my noggin was way behind the B pillar, and getting in and out of the car required some contortions. I couldn’t imagine doing that as a daily driver and declined. Rear seat looks like a four-seater but I think I see seat belts for three in the back.

CarMax gives the car a 9 out of 10 for features and says it’s fully loaded. It has auto cruise control (adaptive cruise), heated and cooling seats, heated steering wheel, Bang & Olufsen audio, and heads up display, although it does not have the night vision assist that I so wanted on my 2010 Mercedes S600…and only used to show off to friends.

The motor (below) sets the B6 apart from the M6. Both have a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8, but the B6 gets larger Garrett turbos and an air-to-water-to intercooler system specially made by Alpina. The B6 also has a special exhaust system and an eight-speed transmission with “Alpina Switch-Tronic tuning and steering-wheel buttons like the ones Alpina pioneered in 1993” per Motor Trend. The B6 also gets big brakes from the M760.